Tag: Personal Style

We are so excited to announce that we are now offering a personal styling service at our stores. When Megan came into our lives we knew we needed to use her many years of personal styling and shopping experience to create a space where our customers could come to her to find what they are looking for. Whether that be a look for an event or a total wardrobe overhaul, Megan’s experience with seeking out individual styles, her keen attention to clients’ personal needs and welcoming personality make her the ideal personal shopper/stylist.

So, how does it work?
Easy! We have a questionnaire found on our site where you can fill out all the information Megan will need to pull pieces or looks that will be perfect for you. Depending on your needs, she will compose 5 separate looks for you to try on during your session. We will also be offering coffee, tea or wine during your appointment.

How much does the service cost?
Nothing! It is free and there is no obligation to buy anything from the session, but we bet you will want to.

Where will the session take place?
Your choice! You can pick the Common Sort location that is ideal for you for the appointment, however, Megan will search all 3 stores before your session so she can find the best of the best for you.

We are so happy to be able to offer this service and we can’t wait to offer you a relaxed, positive space to try on clothes and help you feel and look your best.

With the holidays around the corner, we felt it appropriate to share some holiday inspired pieces we currently have in store to help you figure out what you will be wearing for the holiday this year. This time of year we have our eyes peeled for those pieces that would be perfect for easy days and evenings in with family or for that special party you may be attending. These are some of the pieces that caught our eye, for those who love being festive all month long, or those that just want something special for an evening sipping egg nog and eating a ton of gingerbread.

SHARING THE LOVE

We love seeing our customers sharing their Common Sort finds on Instagram and around the web. It gives us a big smile on our ol’ mugs to see unwanted clothes given new life and styled in ways unique to each person. We thought today we would spread the love and show you some of our customers wearing their #csfinds.

We are excited to be starting a new series where we visit the homes and closets of some seriously stylish and interesting people. Erin has been one of our beloved sales associates for a few years now, and just by looking at her you can tell she’s a cool and noteworthy gal. She let me snap some pictures of her bedroom and told me a bit about her favourite clothing pieces she has found over the years.

Tell us about your style.

Having literally just thought about it, my style is basically an accumulation of influences from all the female figures I’ve looked up to in life. My mom, my Barbies, the early 2000’s pop divas who’d make me late to school cuz I’d be waiting for their videos to come up on the Countdown, and my younger, purer self who dreamed someday of being a fashion designer (my million dollar design was a ¾ length baseball shirt with a heart in the middle) AND a DJ (I’m selling my DJ controller if anyone’s interested!!!)

My truest self comes out when the sun goes down – something feels weird about taking the TTC in broad daylight wearing my rainbow jumpsuit and 5-inch platforms, I guess. I’m a huge clothing collector and I’m not crazy about wearing the same thing twice which is why I’m so lucky to be a part of Common Sort. The funny thing is, a bunch of us CS gals live together and we NEVER share our wardrobes. I often end up coming home with Amalia or Meghan’s old clothes which had been sitting in their closets the night before. It’ll always comes back to the ladies in my life.

This is the dress I’m being buried in. It’s also one of the first pieces I ever collected when I started working in second-hand clothing. Missoni is one of my favourite brands, but you gotta admit they’re kinda hit-or-miss. Obviously the story of this dress had to do with a fancy grandma passing it down a few generations. I’ve only ever worn it once when working the Vintage Crawl and I distinctly remember wearing nothing underneath (Ou La La!) and later finding out from my co-worker that it was completely see-through (C’est La Vie!)I am OBSESSED with hoops earrings. I have a monthly allowance for at least 2 multi-packs from Claire’s. They just compliment every outfit I own. I got my Erin earrings custom-made at the CNE on my birthday, cuz how could I not?I attach memories to EVERYTHING I wear, and the last time I wore this cloud print shirt in 2015 I knocked over a lava lamp on stage at Double Double Land deeming myself “The Girl Who Broke The Lava Lamp On Stage At Double Double Land”. I am still not proud of this moment and I haven’t been able to wear this shirt since, but it’s still the best shirt I own and it’ll forever have a special spot in my second drawer.I made these 8 ball earrings out of keychains. I have a growing keychain AND earring collection so it made sense to combine them. I think jewellery design is my next pursuit in life – but don’t hold me to it!!! I don’t shop fast fashion stores often, but If I do, I’ll check out the sale section. The crazy thing about this two-piece is I found the top at Forever 21 and the bottoms at Zara. This has happened to me on a few occasions working in second-hand where I’ll buy something one season and have a totally matching piece come in the next, and every time it feels like it was meant to be. I once called this outfit “I just auditioned for ABBA Mania” and it makes its way out on special occasions. I’ll NEVER get over the fact that it cost me less than $20.Ok, these are a story. Whatever the internet says – listen to it. There is NO way to successfully apply glitter to Crocs.

I love to add a comedic element to my outfits when I can, and my friends know this. When my best friend Ashlyn got married this past May, she let us choose our own shoes to wear with our bridesmaid dresses. She was apparently going to let us choose our own bridesmaid dresses until she remembered she’d picked me to be in her wedding party.

I spent 3 nights decking out these Dollarama Crocs in $40 of fine glitter. I thought cheap foam would work better than the special plastic. We all grew up in small towns where Crocs became classic but I’d also had a weird feeling that they were about to make a comeback. There’s still glitter on our kitchen floor and apparently it’s forever embedded in Ash’s living room carpet.

As I was walking down the aisle, I felt the layer of glitter snag on the bottom of my dress and COMPLETELY lift up from the shoe. I thought I was going to trip up the altar and I think my heart sank further than hers. Luckily, I was holding her brother’s arm and made it up alive, but obviously my shoes did not. The photographer was just as sad as I was, but hey, at least my feet were comfortable!!!My method of thrifting has always been this: I walk into the store and pick up whatever (literally) catches my eye first. I’ve always been attracted to bright colours and crazy patterns, and this Custo Barcelona jacket was sticking out like a sore thumb – I HAD to take it home – so badly that I think I still owe my friend shopping with me $100 for buying it… (Sorry Pete)This jacket was the first thing I ever bought at Common Sort! Straight off of the repairs rack! I still haven’t fixed the giant hole in the shoulder but WHO CARES when you have an Ace Of Spades as a zipper pull. I dress thematically whenever I can and one of my biggest style regrets was not wearing this to the casino in Niagara Falls – my friends and I dressed up in wigs and fur coats instead. It probably wouldn’t have been worth it anyways considering we almost got kicked out for taking a picture of the Britney Spears slot machine.This is one of the first things I bought at our Common Sort in the Annex. I’d been feeling really down on myself for most of the summer, and when I found this jacket embroidered with “One Of The Elite” on the back, I couldn’t help but cheer up. I never thought a children’s dance jacket could make me feel such a cute confidence!!!

Next up on our personal style series, one of our buyers, perpetually colourful with a smile that could brighten anyone’s bad day, Inez. Tell us a bit about yourself.
An angel who lives for love and laughs.

How long have you worked for Common Sort and what’s your favourite part of the job?

I have worked at Common Sort for a collective time of about 2 and a half years. I took a break for a year to work on my art practise, styling and fashion presentation.

While I was away from Common Sort I found myself thinking about the communities that the stores are apart of more than any other part of the job. There are very few retail businesses where people of many different levels of economic status’ can enter and find clothing that suits all of their needs, aesthetically, functionally and financially. The price of new contemporary clothing that you buy in a mall is outrageous. Those prices are lies, and it isn’t fair that some folks have a more challenging time paying the price of those lies than others. The amount of times I have heard people exclaim while shopping at Common Sort “this regularly retails for so much more“, is in the hundreds. The cost of living in Canada is so high, I feel that Common Sort offers a tiny bit of reprieve from the oppressiveness of consumerism.

As much as I truly love fashion, the nature of fast fashion is destructive to the planet. Even independent designers struggle with needing to make their clothing affordable enough for themselves to make small runs of garments, so most of all the clothing we see is made from synthetic materials and flown across the earth to be sold in North America. Common Sort buys directly from the general public, and we get so much clothing in every single day. It blows my mind to think that almost all of what we get in would end up in a landfill otherwise. Well! these are some of my politics in a nutshell, but I should say I also LOVE the thrill of finding a piece of clothing with a lot of character, especially vintage. Garments were made with more consideration towards fabric and wearability in the past. Things were made to last.

How would you describe your style?
A cartoon of Cameron Diaz playing a pop star who by night, is the secretary of a cult.

What’s your favourite piece you own?

ALL of my clothes are each my favourite pieces. I don’t buy clothing to have a cohesive wardrobe, I buy individual pieces that barely go with anything else lol. They all stand on their own. But honestly.. my favourite piece of clothing I have is a very very plain, boring ass mid calf length black cotton skirt with a thick elastic waist band. Originally from Forever21, I bought it because one summer I was very sick and it was all I could handle wearing on my lower half. It kind of looks perfect with everything and I also feel like I would have gone totally bonkers that summer without it. It’s kind of a horcrux for a part of my soul now.

Some tips on how to style an outfit.

Instead of styling tips I’m going to share the best advice I ever got on getting dressed. I used to feel soooooo stressed out about finding the perfect outfit for work, or a party or a date or something. I felt like if it was an important event then I had to have a new combination of clothing pieces so the memory would be preserved in that outfit. But it is so hard to put together a new look under pressure. Someone told me just to wear your favourite go-to outfit, the one you KNOW looks good, even if it isn’t very special anymore. The last thing you want is to be pulling on the hem of a dress or constantly checking your self out in a mirror every second you get because you feel uncomfortable. Put comfort first always, but consider expanding the boundaries of that comfort zone sometimes. Everyone has the capacity to push a little bit here and there. Go for it.

Favourite trend at the moment?

Literally I have no idea what is trending. I’m really into clogs and ska inspired outfits right now tho.

A few years ago I made a promise to myself I would NEVER wear an all black outfit in the winter, so I think it’s fun and challenging to come up with exciting looks throughout the darkest days of our year.

Think of your style 10 years ago…are you embarrassed by it now?

My style when I was 16 was really similar to where I am at now *in theory*. I liked and wore vintage clothes, I have always been really inspired by the Fruits fashion blog, and I liked to make my own clothes sometimes. One thing I should note is that 10 years ago I was really into Happy Hardcore and raving. Just let that simmer in your imagination for a moment. I think I looked sick and I have so much respect for my younger self for absolutely not giving a heck about what other people thought about how I dressed. I still apply the PLUR vibe to my visual and empathetic self now.

Next up on our personal style feature is Dan Tonner. Let’s get to know this lil’ gem!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Dan. My favourite emojis are: diamond, cigarette, nails & the blue heart. I use they/them pronouns. I’m from the East Coast. I smoke like a chimney, drink too much coffee and comic books are my best friends. My elbows are dangerously pointy and I flail them when I dance, so be careful. It literally took me a week to answer this question.

How long have you worked for Common Sort and what’s your favourite part of the job?

I’ve been at Common Sort for about 8 months. I’ve gotta agree with Meg, the strong femme energy brings a magical touch to the business. It’s also lovely not having to work in soul-sucking corporate retail. Something I really appreciate as well is how accessible we make fashion. Being genderqueer, walking into a store and trying on “women’s” clothing is often a frustrating & discouraging experience. I’ve been able to explore my style and identity through being exposed to clothing from so many varying brands, decades and styles, and it creates a beautiful opportunity for self-expression. I think Common Sort extends those possibilities to everyone.

My general rule is that you’re only well dressed if you’re embodying a minimum of two Spice Girls. My go to is Scary/Posh. Scary was the best… that NASA look she pulls in Spice World is lit.

What’s your favourite piece you own?

I have this crazy monogram denim zip-up Christian Dior hooded vest from some runway show in the 90’s. This adorable, little 82 year old Scottish woman who used to work for Vogue sold it to the store and I nearly wept when I saw it. Dior was my first love. I also have this ancient Roots knit turtleneck that used to belong to my brother. He and I had matching ones when I was 5 or so. Its been so worn that the threads around the neck are coming loose making this cool distressed look. I have to hand wash it because I’m afraid it will literally disintegrate if I put it in a machine at this point.

Favourite trend at the moment?

I’m trying to learn how to power pattern clash. People look so bold and colourful and I respect the sense of being able to find two things that shouldn’t go together but work together perfectly. I used to always wear simple strong colour palettes and never any patterns or prints, but now that I’m addicted to dying my hair weird colours my wardrobe is getting a little bolder. I love pulling big looks and I live for making the Judgemental Judy’s of the world uncomfortable and also when little kids think I’m cool.

Favourite designer(s)?

I love Thom Browne; his shows are always really compelling, conceptual, and weird. His most recent show was this crazy deconstruction of the idea of a grey suit which sounds boring now that I’m describing it, but I swear it’s great. I also have a weakness for Daizy Shely’s marabou feather jackets. Yves Saint Laurent goes without saying, he was a visionary & a progressive .

Favourite season for dressing?

Spring, minus the florals. You still get all the layering from Fall and Winter but with all the light and airiness of Summer. Plus, it’s exciting to slowly break out all the great pieces you’ve been dying to wear since Fall. Did I mention my fondness for pastels?Think of your style 10 years ago…are you embarrassed by it now?

I would describe my style ten years ago as “I’m Here, I’m Queer and you don’t have to get used to it but PLEASE pay attention to me”. Picture a young awkward Danny, fresh out of the closet, braces, every possible colour paired with every possible pattern. I had these Converse shoes that were made out of the same material as tennis balls. Not cute. I try not to think about high school…

It’s due time the staff here got a bit of the light shown on them and their styles. Everyone has such distinct and different tastes, we thought it would be nice to share some of them and help you get to know the faces you see at our locations a little better. First up, let’s meet Meghan!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi I’m Meghan, I work part time at CS as a senior buyer/ merchandiser and part time in the film industry working in the costume department. I am a total clothes hoarder with an emotional attachment to almost everything I own, and I love to dress thematically.

How long have you worked for Common Sort and what’s your favorite part of the job?

I’ve worked at Common Sort for about two and half years now, and I think I can safely say that about 90% of my wardrobe comes from the store, cause like hello first dibs on all the best things! I started working at CS when I first moved back to Toronto after finishing University in Montreal and I feel like I really lucked out getting to work in such a positive femme run business. CS is such a special work place where I have been lucky enough to meet some of my favorite people, best friends and two of my roommates. I think my favorite part of the job is just being able to work in a space where everyone’s individuality is celebrated and creativity is fostered, where you can be whoever, dress however and express yourself.

How would you describe your style?

I feel that my style is a bit all over the place; there are definitely similar things that I’m consistently drawn to, but depending on the season or even the day, they can come across completely different. Just yesterday I started off the day wearing a black and yellow Adidas track suit, and by the evening I had changed into a oversize blouse with giant ribbon ties around the wrist, wide leg pants and a pair of raw silk block heels.

Putting together an outfit can be a different and personal process for each person, how do you go about putting together a look?

I feel like a different person almost every morning getting dressed, and I normally dress in whatever personality or character I feel akin to in that moment. I take most of my inspiration from films I’ve watched or a photo that I’ve come across or some character I’ve made up in my mind that morning, but normally I start with one piece that I’m feeling directly pulled to and work from there. I keep all of my clothes and accessories out in the open on rolling racks around my room or hanging up on my walls, I’ve always felt most inspired being surrounded by my clothes and I have never been a firm believer in closets. Being able to see my clothes at all times gives me a better sense of what I own and it helps me to be more creative when choosing my outfits.

What’s your favourite piece you own?

This is very silly, but I am such a clothes hoarder/ so emotionally attached to all my clothes that having to choose just one piece is a little difficult. Although, I definitely have a couple of pieces that stand out a bit more. A couple of years ago a man whose mother had sadly passed away brought us a bunch of her clothes. He told us his mother used to be a model and all of her pieces were crazy vintage designer that looked like they had come off the runway in 1996. Out of her pieces I got this beautiful Dolce and Gabbana long sleeve shirt with these crazy patches all over it and it looked like it had been worn religiously. The fabric was super thin with lots of little holes everywhere, and it had been stitched in several places in attempt to keep the shirt together. It looked like it had lived such a life and I was immediately drawn to it. To this day it has remained one of my favorite pieces.

There’s a lot of smaller designers I’ve been really into recently. To name a few, Staud, Paloma Wool, Oats the Label, Lykke Wullf, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh for their dreamy shoes. But, I have to say, two of my absolute favorites that are killing it right now is the Australian label Daisy, and New York label C.F Goldman. They are serving up all the gingham, farm girl, country looks that my dreams are made of.

Favourite season for dressing?

Although I’m definitely a Summer baby, I wouldn’t say that it’s my fave season to dress for. I’ve never been a fan of any kind of weather that feels like it constricts an outfit, either because its too hot or too cold. I always like the option of wearing layers, sleeves, pants, bare legs, a jacket, or even mules, even in – 15 weather.

Think of your style 10 years ago…are you embarrassed by it now?

Well, ten years ago I was 15, soooo…I am definitely embarrassed. But to be fair, I was a teenager in the mid 2000s, probably the worst fashion decade ever, with exception of the 80s. It wouldn’t be weird to find me wearing a headband around my forehead (gross), layering no less than three different colored tank tops, boot cut jeans from American Eagle, some horrible lamé something or other from American Apparel and ballet flats all at once. When your biggest style inspo is Nicole Richie circa The Simple Life, un-ironically, you just don’t stand a chance.

WHAT SHE WORE // vintage overalls, Ralph Lauren button down and Aldo boots